Yasser Arafat Gave Orders to ‘Finish Off’ US Diplomats, Gov’t Documents Show

Tuesday, September 06, 2011
By Patrick Goodenough

Then-U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan meets with PLO leader Yasser Arafat in Durban, South Africa during the controversial U.N. World Conference Against Racism in Aug.-Sept 2001. (U.N. Photo by Evan Schneider)

(CNSNews.com) – As the Palestinians prepare for their U.N. recognition bid, the recent release of historical U.S. government documents confirms the personal involvement of Yasser Arafat in the murder of two American diplomats 38 years ago.
The State Department documents also make clear that Washington was aware, at the time, of Arafat’s involvement in the killing of U.S. Ambassador to Sudan Cleo Noel, his deputy chief of mission, George Moore, and Belgian charge d’affaires Guy Eid, during a terrorist hostage-taking in Khartoum in March 1973.
“The Khartoum operation was planned and carried out with the full knowledge and personal approval of Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the head of Fatah,” said one of the documents released by the State Department’s Office of the Historian.
“When the terrorists became convinced that their demands would not be met and after they reportedly had received orders from Fatah headquarters in Beirut, they killed the two U.S. officials and the Belgian Charge,” it said.
“Thirty-four hours later, upon receipt of orders from Arafat in Beirut, the terrorists released the other hostages unharmed and surrendered to Sudanese authorities.”
Another of the released documents recorded a meeting in Washington, two months later, between President Nixon’s national security advisor, Henry Kissinger, and Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban.
“During the Khartoum incident, someone suggested we ask you [Israelis] for help,” Kissinger remarked to Eban. “You would have blown up Beirut.”